The sun's rays are blocked out by the tall trees, and the air is dim and damp.

　In the largest forest in the Kingdom of Naglas, the Caucasus Forest, humans are mere outsiders.
　If they dare to be allowed to exist, it's as 'bait' to be hunted by predators.

''d*mn it!　How could this happen!

　It's already been three days since they've been hiding from the demons of the forest. Their frustration was building to an uncontrollable level.

Calm down. There is no good outcome for you if you lose your cool!

Hmph!

　A silver-haired boy threw his anger against the wall at an older woman who told him off.
　The three boys and girls sitting around him cowered in fear.
　No matter how much the silver-haired boy rampaged, this cave, which was built by the hands of nature, wouldn't budge, but they were suffering from mental and physical exhaustion, so even a slight shock would be too much for them.

　This is the Caucasus forest and they are in the forest.
　And they are in natural caves scattered in the forest.

　The flames of the lanterns create shadows for the number of people in the darkness, where the light of the sun does not reach.
　There are seven people sitting in the cave.
　Five teenage boys and girls, an adult woman and a first generation merchant.

''Mr. Hanslick. I'm afraid that's not the way you should behave towards your benefactor who helped you.

　A girl with a bunch of cherry blossom-colored hair chastised the silver-haired boy.
　In contrast to the other boys and girls who were visibly frightened, she was the only one who maintained an air of composure even in this situation.

Shut up, Solte!　Are you going to argue with me?!

I didn't mean to: ......

'Peachy perch, you're the one who's annoying!　Don't take it out on things or others because you're anxious!　I wouldn't be so disgusting!

　A young boy who was about to argue with a stammering girl was interrupted by an elderly woman merchant.

　She is a young and energetic woman, but she is also young and energetic. He was youthful and vibrant, but there was no way to hide the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and mouth. Her dark blue hair was pulled back in a small tail at the nape of her neck.

''You!　Is it disrespectful to know that I am Hanslick, the second son of the Remshade family!

Then you should get the hell out of here by yourself. I have no obligation or responsibility to help you guys in the first place.

　Hanslick flinched at the woman's piercing gaze, which is unlike a merchant, "d*mn! He reluctantly sat down while swearing.

　A girl with cherry blossom-colored hair approached the woman merchant, who was watching her with a cold stare.
　The girl sits down in front of the merchant and bows her head deeply.

''I am sorry. Our people have been rude to you. I'm afraid that if we are forced to leave this place, we will have no way to defend ourselves. I beg your forgiveness.

You're Solte, right?　I'm not going to kick you out of the house. The other kids are not going to kick you out if you are going to be quiet. But you just have to remember that we are not obligated to help you.

'Yes, sir. I'll keep that in mind.

　Solte bowed her head once more and returned to where her fellow boys and girls were.
　It was in a small cave. The conversation with the female merchant could be overheard by the rest of the group. I don't need to hear it again from Solte now, and all three of them, except Hanslick, were of the same mind as Solte.

　The five of them were all students of Mariusz Academy in the royal capital of the Kingdom of Naglas.
　They belonged to the highest grade that was about to graduate this year, and they were the most promising students who were recognized for their abilities.

　The leader of the school, Hanslick, is the second son of the famous Remshade family, and he is a brilliant student who is ranked first in his class. He excels in both the literary and military arts, and is well-liked by those around him, and is said to be the pride of the head of the Remsheid family.
　Solte is a unique person who was admitted to the Marieles School despite being a sister of the church. At the age of fifteen, she has mastered the art of healing, and the church expects that she will eventually be named a saint.
　The other three are also ranked among the top students at the school and are expected to be successful after graduation.

　As three men and two women, they were good rivals and friends to each other.
　They were so far ahead of the other students around them that they had no one else to go to and no one else to rub shoulders with.
　Inevitably, they began to work together more and more, forming a party in small group battles. The Marieles School's top team is now in place.

　There was no one in the school who could match them.
　They won all their matches in the school's trial games. They showed their overwhelming strength.

　While others praised their abilities, the mentally immature boys and girls overestimated their own strength.
　Hanslick and his friends planned an expedition for their last long vacation, six months before graduation.

　The academy did not prohibit students from going on expeditions. Rather, they are encouraged to gain real-world experience.
　However, due to safety considerations, the recommended expedition locations are set according to the students' abilities, which is inevitable.

　Places around the capital where there are few dangerous creatures and where it is easy to rescue people in case of emergencies are chosen, and naturally places where there are demons are excluded.
　Expeditions outside of the school's designated locations were not prohibited either, but in that case, they were required to hire mercenaries with the appropriate abilities to escort them.
　The Causus Forest was one such place.

　The expedition location designated by the academy was only for normal students.
　With their own abilities, going there would not be good training.
　It will finally become training by going to a more difficult place, and that without an escort, on their own. Following Hanslick's words, they stepped into the forest without hiring an escort.

　Only Sorte was the only one who insisted that they should hire an escort.
　However, they were eventually pushed out by the other four, who said that if they were struggling, they could return to the city and hire a new guard.
　As a result, they misjudged that they had no problems on their own and ended up in a tight spot.

　The map we got in the city of Thoria had a few gaps in it, but it showed us the safe route to take.
　In fact, all day after entering the forest, Hanslick and his team didn't encounter a single beast.

　Normally, this was the time to ask the question.
　If they had understood how dangerous the Kosus Forest, one of the most prominent demonic dens in the Kingdom of Naglas, was, they would have realized that the situation was strange.
　But they were so elated that they stepped deeper into the forest without having the chance to see the horror of the forest for themselves.

　It was not until after noon on the third day - the second day after they entered the forest - that they realized their mistake.
　Since the original plan was for four days, they already had to head home. But since entering the forest, they hadn't seen any beasts other than small herbivores.

　This was no training at all. It would be better to call it a mere trip.
　Even if they were to start over again, they would have to fight at least once before they could decide on a guideline for the future.

　After a discussion, we came to such a conclusion that we continued on deeper and deeper into the forest even after we had passed our schedule.
　By that time, the caution we had when we entered the forest had loosened, and our attention to our surroundings had become distracted.
　No one noticed that there were no more bird sounds or small herbivores in sight.

　Hanslick, who was leading the way, pushing through the vegetation and cutting off twigs, was the first to spot it.

'Hey, get that ......'

　I saw a black mass in the direction Hanslick indicated.

''That's a beast called ...... double-sworded beast or something like that.

　One of my friends is sharing his knowledge.

'There seems to be only one of them. Good for a quick check.

　Hanslick says with a smile that seems to spill over with overflowing confidence.

I'll take the front seat. Cover me first.

Oh.

Yes, sir.

　Upon receiving his companion's reply, Hanslick gave the signal to attack.

'Alright, now!　Flank him!

　Hanslick jumped out of the way to make the first move and thrust his longsword into the twin-sworded beast.
　But Hanslick's strike was blocked by the hard outer skin and didn't hurt it at all.

''d*mn!　Hard!

　After receiving the unexpected blow, the twin-sworded beast immediately considered Hanslick as an enemy and threatened him with a click of its two fangs, which were also the origin of its name.

''Turn around and aim for the outer skin knot!

　Hanslick, whose attack would be a surprise, quickly gets out of range and tells his fellow axe men and swordsmen to get out of the way.
　Solte and the other girl will keep their distance and be ready to assist at any time.

''Do-o-ryaah!''

　A fellow axeman attacked from the side of the twin-sworded beast, but the axe he swung up was blocked by the hard outer skin.

''It's hard and slippery, this!

　The axeman was right, the outer skin of the twin-sword beast was not only hard, but the slippery surface would catch the blade away.
　Even if you put a lot of force into smashing it, if the angle was off, its power would be reduced by half.

　Hanslick and the other swordsman fired a series of thrusts at different times, but they were still bounced off the outer skin and didn't inflict a single scratch.

The wind that cuts through is the tune played by the white lady ---- wind cutter!

　The girl who had been waiting with Sorte unleashed her wind magic.
　The wind blade that cut through the air and attacked her succeeded in cutting off one of the twin-sword beast's legs, but it didn't cause a single scratch on its outer skin.

　It was not a wrong way to use magic to counter the hard outer skinned twin sword beasts.

　However, the magic of the 'Wind Cutter' that aimed to cut and the twin-sworded beast was extremely incompatible with it.
　If this had been a 'fireball' or 'ice cube', it would have been effective, or at least if it was a 'rock' magic, it could have done more damage.

　If her magic attribute was not wind, the result would have been much different.

''Tu, strong ......''

　Impatience appeared on Hanslick's face.

'Hans!　What do we do?!

　In a situation where he couldn't give an effective strike at all, the axeman asked for a decision.
　The twin-sworded beast is indeed hard. I'm not going to be the only one who can do that.

　But on the other hand, their movements are not that fast.
　I'm not sure I'll ever be able to catch up with the human legs if I run away with all my strength.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find it. There's no need to worry about being turned around.

　However--''

"We can handle a whole pack of double-sworded beasts!　He's not immortal!　He's lost his legs and his strength must be sapped!

　Hanslick did not choose to retreat.

　That feeling was understandable to the other members of the group.
　After not even hiring mercenaries to escort them, ignoring the school's designation and coming to a dangerous forest that wasn't recommended, their pride wouldn't allow them to run back with their tails between their legs after just one battle.

　And the other party is only one twin-sworded beast, which is said to be relatively less dangerous even in the Caucasus Forest.
　If they were to say that they couldn't help themselves against an opponent that wasn't even a monster, their reputation as the school's promising star would fall to the ground.

　Such a thought clouded their eyes and made them lose their final opportunity to retreat.
　In the next moment, a huge object flew out from the bushes behind the twin-sword beast.
　The huge object pounced on the twin-sword beast surrounded by Hanslick and the others, and in the blink of an eye, it chewed up the black outer skin with its tough jaws.

''Na......''

　As Hanslick and the others stiffened as if they were in a golden bind, its body appeared from behind the bushes.

　It was a huge, light purple snake.
　Its body was as thick as a human's torso, and its head alone was one size larger than a twin-sword beast.
　It was impossible to predict how long its torso was while it was still hidden in the bushes.

　The snake wriggled its body, but held the twin-sword beast firmly in place with its fangs.
　Hanslick and the others witnessed the body of the twin-sword beast being crushed with an eerie sound as it made a creepy noise, sending a chill down their spines.

　Reason was shouting loudly for them to escape, but their bodies were too terrified to move.
　Eventually, as it slowly swallowed the black mass that was a twin-sworded beast, the giant snake began to turn its hostility towards Hanslick and the others.

''Shaaah!''

　There was no way they could win against the twin-sworded beast that Hanslick and his friends couldn't handle, and the giant snake that so easily preyed on them.
　The only option is to run away, but Hanslick and his team's feet are frozen like rocks in front of an overwhelmingly strong opponent.

''Ni...''

Kishaaah!

　Triggered by the axeman's words, the giant snake attacked Hanslick and the others.

　The axe man was the first target, and the fangs of the giant snake were closing in on him.
　The axe man, who was unable to avoid it, was standing on a stick, and just before his fangs pierced him, the large shield stood in front of him as if to catch his rush.